Intern with IBM, Google or ITC

Searching and applying for an internship, and the work exposure, consecutively, is like a dress rehearsal for your first job. How to go about it!
THE first step is to that funny/ naughty e-mail ID and get one with your name, as your email ID as this is probably the first thing an employer will see.

Two, check e-mail regularly and see that you attend to phone-calls professionally. Pat Lynch, President, Business Alignment Strategies. Inc, USA, who helps students gain internships, articulates an employer’s frustration rather well.

“Too often I see students dressing sloppily, and not displaying common business courtesy Big mistake! Employers often use internships as a commitment-free way of seeing what kind of worker a student would be,” she shares.

This thought is further echoed by Dr. Raj Raghavan, HR Leader, GE John F Welch Technology Centre, who is responsible for the internship programme at GE. “The passion to learn and the desire to want to make a difference to the company are two critical differentiators that we look for in interns.

Company and role

Think in the direction of which industries and job functions interest you and build a résumé that highlights qualifications, skills and strengths. Your cover letter must be ‘employer focused’. Indicate you have been through their website and the various ways you can contribute.

The very fact that you have taken the time to think about it can impress an employer. Bhooshan Kelkar, Country Manager of IBM India, University Relations suggests, “Focus upon application-oriented thinking or any out of the box experiences you have had. Whether it is a robotics camp or an IEEE membership, they expose you to new experiences and prepare you for the tough market, which is only getting tougher.

Yu Yu Din, a digital marketing manager with EmployWise, Gurgaon highlights a problems faced by students. The primary challenge in India is the mindset of employers. She advises students to ‘highlight your willingness to learn’, and encourages them to look at internships with small businesses. “They tend to be more open to internships/trainee programmes than large ones. Companies in the creative sector such as PR and advertising firms are also more open to internships than traditional businesses,” she adds.

Search tips

The easiest way to search for internships is to register yourself with your college’s career guidance wing and checking available internship vacancies. Many websites such as www.eastchance.com and www.theihs.org have many positions advertised throughout the year. Keep a tab on them. Approach the companies that interest you. Dr. Raghavan shares, “Many of our internship opportunities are regularly advertised in the GE Careers webpage with details on the programme. Other companies, for instance, have dedicated links to internship sites, which provide details on the various types of assignments, location of the internship, stipend details etc.

”IBM on the other hand mainly advertises their internships through the Training and Placement Offices, states Kelkar. Since, many new age IT companies offer a host of opportunities, setting up a LinkedIn profile and mentioning that in your cover letter makes lots of sense. Pankaj Ingle, who is pursuing a PG Diploma in Management (RM) at K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, Mumbai has a well developed LinkedIn profile with 200 + connections. Pankaj, who did his summer internship at Onida where he worked on the brand perception of their microwaves, also got his Professor at the institute to recommend him.

Will it pay?

Internships generally are unpaid. If you manage to get a paid internship, good luck to you. But even if an internship is unpaid it can be a great way to add weight to your résumé. Weigh it against what else you can be doing with your time and how you will benefit from it. Also, unlike in a job, with an internship you must focus on choosing the one that gives you the maximum learning opportunity. But negotiating a good stipend also does not hurt.

What should I do?

A great résumé which focuses on what you have learnt and achieved so far in college is a great starting point in your internship hunt. Have a one-page easy-to-read concise résumé. Avoid large blocks of text and use headings, different fonts and columns to highlight your points. Plus good interview skills. Remember, there could be many who are interested in an internship.

The last word

Many firms do not advertise for internships. Most of the opportunities are filled in based on word of mouth publicity. So there is no harm in leveraging your personal network to gain an appointment. But if you want to be treated professionally you must eventually make a well-thought-out professional impact. Who knows, you may land up with a job offer at the end!

HOT INTERNSHIPS ACROSS SECTORS!

IT/ Computer Science

Organisation: IBM

Role: Research Internship

Location: New Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad

How to apply: Applications along with latest CV and the application form can be sentIBM directly.

Organisation: Google India

Role: Software engineering

Location: Multi locations

Eligibility: Currently pursuing BS, Stipend: Not specified

Marketing

Organisation: Akash Academy

Role: Marketing

Responsibilities: Interacting with Clients and finalising deals, Market Research, Marketing Network solutions for Information Technology

Location: Pondicherry

Stipend: Rs’. 5,000 per month

How to apply: Contact: Akash Academy, 4th Floor, J-Plaza, Near Indiragandhi statue Ellapillaichavadi, Pondicherry- 5, Contact No.: +914134205425.

Website: www.akashacademy.com

Organisation: Maa Foundation

Role: Event promotion & brand management

Responsibilities: Event Marketing, Public Relations, Marketing Communications, Media Planning, performance analysis of all branding activities and evaluate different channels.

Location: Delhi

Duration: 6 weeks

Stipend: Rs. 3,500

How to apply: Send résumé to muskan.maafoundation@gmail.com

Finance

Organisation: ITC

Role: CA Industrial Trainees

Responsibilities: Operational accounting, costing, business planning & analytics, risk management & internal controls and treasury management.

Location: Guntur

Stipend: Rs. 12,000 per month

Last date: March 31, 2011

Web/ Graphic Design

Organisation: Habile Technologies

Role: PHP Developer

Responsibilities: Not specified

Location: Chennai

Eligibility: Proficiency in PHP

Stipend: Rs.10, 000 per month

How to apply: Mail résumé to careers@habile.in

Organisation: Google India

Role: Design Intern

Responsibilities: Develop high-level and/or detailed storyboards, mock-ups and prototypes.

Location: Bangalore

Eligibility: Bachelor’s, Master’s degree preferred in visual communication, product design, industrial design or information design.

Duration: Not specified

Stipend: Not specified